You are here

Passenger plane crashes at Kathmandu airport

A commercial plane has crashed on landing at Tribhuvan International airport in Kathmandu, Nepal, causing the cancellation of all flights into and out of the airport.

According to the BBC, the aircraft was operated by US-Bangla, a Bangladeshi airline. It was arriving in Kathmandu from Dhaka, with one survivor saying the plane 'shook violently' on approach for landing.

The aircraft veered off the runway at about 1420 local time Monday (12 March), resulting in a fire on the plane.

It is still unclear what caused the crash. The airline blames air traffic control, while the airport says the aircraft approached the runway from the wrong direction. A recording of the conversation between the pilot and air traffic control seems to point to a misunderstanding about the aircraft's landing path.

Local media reports there were 67 passengers and four crew on board. Authorities say 22 people have been rescued and at least 49 people have died.